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Galliformes and other animals for South America
JOrnitho: Hello! I'm back with ideas for some new species for South America. I found in my computer an archive with some ideas for fauna and flora that I had some time ago and decided to show there to ask your opinion about them. The first is about a descendant of the domestic chicken. [more]Copper jacumitan (Jacumita cuprinus) Order: Galliformes Family: Phasianidae Habitat: Savannas and woodlands of Central South America. During the Holocene, the man introduced many species in other continents. The jacumitan is a descendant of domestic chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) that are introduced in South America. It replaced the birds in the family Cracidae, which are extinct in the Neocene, in some areas. In a matter of fact, the name jacumitan is the junction of the words jacu, the popular name in Brazil for guans of the Genus Penelope, and the tupi word mitã (mitan) that means new, this way the name means “new guan”. The copper jacumitan is the type species of this genus and lives in the savannas and woodlands of Central South America. The copper jacumitan is sexually dysmorphic. The male measure 190 cm, due to the long tail, it has a bright coppery brown upperbody plumage and reddish-brown feathers below. They also have metallic dark green feathers on the tail and wings. Only males have a bright red naked skin on the face, with two wattles that conceal the sides of its head. This characteristic is shared by all males of the genus Jacumita. The males of the genus also have crests formed by white feathers with black tips. During courtship and panic moments, they rise the crests. The females have 75 cm of length and are cryptic brown and adapted to camouflage, its naked skin on the face is pale pink and don’t have flesh wattles. The young males are similar to the females until they reach 9 weeks, at this time the wattle begin to develop. Both sexes have long orange colored legs and grey beak. The males have spurs that they use in fights for dominance. The neck is long and slim. Copper jacumitans can fly, but prefer to run from the predators flying only as last resort. These birds are omnivorous and feed on insects, seeds, and fruits. Its forage for food by scratching the ground, usually near herbivores this way there is other animals observing for the presence of predators. Often the male sits on a high perch, to serve as a lookout for his group. He sounds an alarm call if predators are nearby. At night it will sleep perched on branches. Copper jacumitans are polygamous; the male will have a harem with 5 to 12 females and will guards the area where his females are nesting, and attack other males that enter his territory. To initiate courting, the males will dance in a circle around or near a female, raising their crests and lowering the wing which is closest to the hen. Then, he will vocalize and when she responds to his call, the male will mount her and proceed with the mating. The females make their nest in the ground, laying 6 to 14 red eggs which are incubated for 22 days. Chicks are precocious, leaving the nest shortly they are born. They fledge in about 4 to 5 weeks, and at 13 weeks old are chased out of the group by their mother, at which point the young males start to form a harem and the females join an existing one. Sexual maturity is reached at 6 months and the lifespan of this species is of 13 years, however is common for males to die early due to predation. Other species in the genus Jacumita are: Golden jacumitan (Jacumita aurea) Living in the forests of the Atlantic coast of South America, the males of this species has 200 cm of length, from beak to tail, while the females have 83 cm. The plumage of the male have a bright golden-yellow plumage in the upperparts, being scarlet in the chest and belly. They have dark metallic green wing feathers and tail while the female is cryptic brown. Red jacumitan (Jacumita amazonica) Living in the "terra firme" forests of the Amazon , the males of this species has 185 cm of length, from beak to tail, while females have 70 cm. The plumage of male is bright orange-red in the upperparts, while their chest and belly is yellow. The males also have dark metallic blue wing feathers and tail while the female is cryptic brown. Andean jacumitan (Jacumita andina) Living in the highland forests in the slopes of the Andes, the males of this species has 170 cm of length, from beak to tail, while females have 68 cm. The plumage of the males is white in the upperparts and yellowish-red in the belly and chest. The males also have dark metallic blue wing feathers and tail while the female is cryptic brown. This other one is about a descendant of the californian quail: Common austral grouse (Tetraoinus australis) Order: Galliformes Family: Odontophoridae Habitat: Forests of Southern South America During the Holocene, the man introduced many exotic species different habitats, the ancestor of the austral grouse was one of these species. Their ancestor was not a true grouse, but the Californian quail, due to evolutionary convergence they acquired characteristics similar to the true grouses of North America. Living in the forests of Southern South America, the male austral grouse are 55 cm long and the female have 44 cm of length. The male have a dark grey body plumage, black-and-white bridled head pattern, black back and a greyish-blue belly. They have a curving crest or plume, made of six feathers that droops forward (long and black in males /short and brown in females) and long forked blackish tail with white undertail coverts. Females and immature birds are mainly greyish-brown with a light-brown belly. Both sexes have a black bill and relatively long grey legs. Their diet consists mainly of seeds and leaves, but they also eat some berries and insects. In some regions their main source of food are the seeds of trees of the Genus Araucaria. These birds are not elegant fliers, however they sleep perched in branches. Given a choice, they will normally escape on foot. During the courtship, the male austral grouse do displays on a lek, each male have a “personal space”. The males strut around their chose space, doing a display. The display consists of the male posturing himself with the head near the ground. Then, they start to move it from right to left showing their crests, simultaneously they raising the tail feathers, showing their withe undertail coverts. After that, they will raise their heads abruptly and whilst make a highly distinctive mating call. When another male invade the personal space of other, a fight happens, in this case the male will try to take of the crest of the rival, this way they will not be capable to display for the females. The female usually lays approximately 12 spotted eggs. The nest is a shallow scrape lined with vegetation on the ground. Incubation lasts from 21–25 days, usually performed by the female and rarely by the male. The chicks are precocial, leaving the nest with their parents within hours of hatching. The male stay with the female until the young leave, with 3 months. The young reach sexual maturity with 1 year, with this age the young males acquire the coloration of an adult male. Their lifespan is of 27 years. In the forests of Tierra del Fuego another species lives, the Black boreal grouse (Tetraoinus nigrus). Their main difference to the other species is that the males have an all-black plumage, with only a faint shade of blue in the chest and brown undertail coverts. The females are similar to that of the common austral grouse. The males have 52 cm and the females 41 cm.[/more] I also have in this archive some names for possible species that I never developed bayond some few facts. Maybe someone could help me make their descriptions.
JOrnitho: Recently, a fisher was hurt by an lionfish here in Northeastern Brazil. This brought to the news how this invasive species is increasing its ranger from Florida to Brazilian waters. I was thinking if would be possible for it to survive in the Neocene in the Atlantic. In this case, another fish could have evolved to eat it, perhaps a Serranidae that became imune to its poison.
Áèîëîã: JOrnitho Good idea! But I'm not so good in fish...
JOrnitho: Áèîëîã ïèøåò: But I'm not so good in fish... Same, but I'll see what I can do. There is anyone in the project that have a better knowledge about fishes?
Áèîëîã: JOrnitho There is anyone in the project that have a better knowledge about fishes? The Author. You may ask him personally via e-mail, just as you sent him your good illustration.
JOrnitho: I was thinking if it would be plausible for the introduced American minke and beaver to survive in the Tierra del Fuego. They could have descendants living on these areas during the Neocene.
wovoka: JOrnitho ïèøåò: beaver JOrnitho, according to the canon, beavers died out everywhere by the Neocene. JOrnitho ïèøåò: minke According to the canon only two species of cetaceans survived to the Neocene: Baikal hard-beaked dolphin and chinese dwarf species of porpoise, the descendant of the finless porpoise.
Áèîëîã: wovoka Thanks for your reply! Unfortunately, yes, beavers and cetaceans are replaced by other taxa in Neocene. But... chinese dwarf species of porpoise Where is this? I failed to find it.
wovoka: Áèîëîã ïèøåò: Where is this? I failed to find it. http://sivatherium.borda.ru/?1-0-1592389649390-00000052-000-10001-0#114
Áèîëîã: wovoka Thought so! It is not in Neocene, because not yet accepted by the Author.
JOrnitho: wovoka ïèøåò: According to the canon only two species of cetaceans survived to the Neocene: Sorry, I commited another typing error. I mean the American mink, the small mustelid. It was introduced in South America for production of fur but escaped/was released and now can be found in Argentina.
wovoka: JOrnitho ïèøåò: I mean the American mink, the small mustelid Yes, the American mink can leave interesting descendants in Argentina by the Neocene.
JOrnitho: wovoka ïèøåò: the American mink can leave interesting descendants in Argentina by the Neocene. Yes! I already have some ideas for them. While some species would be more conservative and remained in land, the other could be marine with the appearance of a primitive seal. These marine seal-like minks would hunt schools of fish and krill in the open sea, this way not competing with the already existing Ayapuh. According to the description in the Bestiary, this rodent hunts by feeling the sea bottom and overturning stones, very different of how the mink descendant would search for food. They could also occasionally hunt the Ayapuh and penguingulls, like how the sea lions hunted penguins in the Holocene. Their distribution would be from Tierra del Fuego to Northern Chile in the Pacific, and to Southern Brazil in the Atlantic. Does this idea seems plausible?
wovoka: JOrnitho ïèøåò: Does this idea seems plausible? I think it's interesting idea!
Áèîëîã: JOrnitho marine seal-like minks Great! Good thing it will not copy the holocenic sea otter. We have algoceti (as descendants of nutria/coypu) already present in Neocene, but these are large herbivores, and a large marine predator would excellently fit there! Moreover, it can take the niche of toothed whales like, say, orcas!
JOrnitho: Áèîëîã ïèøåò: Moreover, it can take the niche of toothed whales like, say, orcas! I think that they can partially fill this niche. They would be more like a Steller sea lion and a leopard seal than an orca. Is there any large shark in the Southern Hemisphere that could hunt them? Including prey upon the algocetus.
wovoka: Áèîëîã ïèøåò: it can take the niche of toothed whales like, say, orcas! Áèîëîã, I don’t remember exactly, but according to the canon there is some kind of size limit for marine mammals, the largest are algocetes, so some other creature, but not a mammal or a bird, will occupy the orcas niche. JOrnitho ïèøåò: leopard seal I think this is possible.
Áèîëîã: wovoka according to the canon there is some kind of size limit for marine mammals, the largest are algocetes, so some other creature, but not a mammal or a bird, will occupy the orcas niche Oh... As Artemiy Lebedev once said, the restrictions/limits stimulate and motivate a designer, not bring him down
JOrnitho: wovoka ïèøåò: will occupy the orcas niche. Maybe it could be a large shark, like the Megalodon. Without whales, I see the fishes retaking some niches that they used to have before the marine mammals evolved. For example, there could also be a large filter-feeder Actinopterygii. Like the extinct Leedsichthys.
Áèîëîã: JOrnitho large filter-feeder Actinopterygii There is the Sailerfish (chapter "Wanderers of the Ocean") in Southern Pacific.
Áèîëîã: JOrnitho They would be more like a Steller sea lion and a leopard seal than an orca. Yes! Quite possible. Is there any large shark in the Southern Hemisphere that could hunt them? Yes, sea onza (in Bestiary, only Russian so far) in tropical regions of Pacific and Atlantic. This seemingly means it inhabits both hemispheres.
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